Scientists say a ground breaking study, by a team of academics led by Swansea University, could have far-reaching implications for the control of mosquito larvae across the world.

They say the study, into the mechanisms by which the insect fungus Metarhizium anisopliae kills mosquito larvae, has been published by the PLOS One research journal.

Professor Tariq Butt:

'The results from the study show that by simply casting the fungus spores on water we should be able to help to defeat troublesome life threatening colonies of mosquitoes which have been gradually moving north into Europe as the climate warms up.'

'Trials are currently taking place in Africa and the findings would have important consequences for tackling malaria and other mosquito transmitted diseases.'

Drs Tristram Irvine-Fynn (Department of Geography and Earth Sciences) and Arwyn Edwards (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences) have presented revised estimates of the number of microbes in Earth’s glaciers and ice sheet.

Their findings are in a paper published online this week in the journal Cytometry Part A.

Dr Tristram Irvine-Fynn:

“Most of life on Earth is microscopic, and we know there are more microbes on planet Earth than stars in the observable Universe.”

Scientists at Bangor University are investigating ivy as one of a range of plants which could provide compounds currently derived from crude oil.

Work at its BioComposites Centre is underway to find new uses for natural resources.

Development Chemist Dr Dave Preskett:

“We’ve used ivy extract as a slug killer in place of slug pellets and trials using it as a fungicide to treat potato blight, in place of oil derived chemical sprays, proved very effective in protecting crops.

"The same extract also has great potential to be developed in products for treating dandruff and athlete’s foot."

"An oil produced from the berries is edible, as ivy is not poisonous, contrary to popular belief, and has all the health giving properties of olive oil but has the more solid consistency of butter or lard.”

A team of scientists at Cardiff university are trying to find new antibiotics to fight infections like TB. No new class of antibiotic has been discovered for 26 years - and they say if no new ones are found people will start dying of infections they routinely survive. David Wood reports